Before I begin walking again, let’s chat a bit, about all the things stuck in the middle.

hehe….I do love the show:)

“The Middle” is the safest and perhaps the cosiest spot in most scenarios yet, it is the spot that endures the most grumbling.

For instance, Wednesday, is a time where one has borne the brunt of Monday and Tuesday and it is a mellow wind-down to the weekend, yet, most Wednesdays are shrugged off with disappointment, simply because it is two days away from Friday.

Afternoons: A time where one can take a breath or two, and maybe a nap, to drown out the morning’s rush hour madness is also a time to grumble about the scorching heat of the sun, directing its glare in perpendicular rays.

The middle seat at movie theatres: Offers the best view of the screen along with the best chance to comment on the lack of exit conveniences.

Most writers admit to hating the arduous task of writing the middle bits of their novels, but if it wasn’t for the middle bits, there would be no story.

Staying in the middle takes effort. It is an act of balance, but it is in this balance that stability arises.

“The Middle” is also the most stable part in most mechanisms, right from atoms to toy trains.

Hehe….

So, this blog, Imma put the spotlight on a midday spent in the city of Melbourne, complete with golden lighting, short shadows and a very artsy afternoon.

Without further ado, let’s meet up in “The Middle”.

First up, we have the Arts Centre, with its iconic white tower, dividing the landscape into two subtly contrasting scenes. On one side, we have a more urban side, with glass buildings glistening in the midday sun and the other side shows a more cosy, autumnal scene with maple trees against a turquoise sky.

The tallest glass building, i.e the one with the yellow star jutting out of it, is called the Australia 108 and it is the tallest residential building in the Southern Hemisphere. The yellow star is a Starburst which symbolises the Commonwealth Star on the Australian Flag.

One thing that I noticed in Melbourne is that the city’s goal is to be the best in the Southern Hemisphere. Apart from the Australia 108, the city has the largest Lego store in the Southern Hemisphere, located in the Melbourne Central Mall. It also has Chadstone, which is the largest mall in the Southern Hemisphere. I did visit the Lego store and I will yap about it in a later blog, but I think it’s just brilliant to have such an enterprising  mindset:) Be the best where you are. Very demure, very mindful, very cutesy.

hehe.

The Arts Centre in Melbourne, is a theatre for performing arts and it is a part of the city’s Arts Precinct, which includes some of the best art institutions in the city, like the National Gallery Victoria, Fed Square, with its museums, The Shrine of Remembrance and certain gardens with sculptures. I will be talking about some of these places in this blog, while the others will be covered in later blogs because it took me a few days to cover the precinct. I really want to watch a play at the Arts Centre and that is something on my bucket list for the next time!

Melbourne, as I’ve said before, is not a morning person, but come afternoon, the city’s a bustling little diva, with pavements filled with pedestrians so while I was trying to get a perfect shot of this street lamp, I dodged five joggers, two babies in prams, one German Shepherd, two Maltipoos, three teenagers typing into their phones and two influencers making reels of themselves walking.

And I am proud to say that almost all these beings had beverages in their hands and not one drop landed on me.

Like I said, there’s stability in being in the middle….of the road.

Hehe.

I love how ornate this lamppost is, and it gives me a sense of a glitch in time travel, where vintage art finds a place in modern landscaping. I think this lamppost could be a portal to the past, so if you ever find yourself walking from the Queen Victoria Gardens to Fed Square and you get sucked into a spiral that lands you in the middle of Queen Victoria’s court in the 1800s, be rest assured that….

hehe….

On crossing the ornate lamppost, one can see the Yarra river in its full glory, flanked by bursts of Autumn hues amidst calming greens. I feel this picture really captures the energetic calm of Melbourne, with a picnic boat simply soaking the sun upon the river and the Melbourne Cricket Ground at the far end, standing majestically and emanating its sporty energy. There’s also the blue mosaic wall of the Koorie Heritage Trust, peeping out from behind the pink trees, adding a nice artsy vibe to the whole scene.

The Yarra riverside is my favourite part of Melbourne, especially since there’s so much to do on its banks. The whole city blossoms around it and it brings home the fact that rivers are so essential to civilisation, right from its nourishment to its aesthetics.

When I saw the Federation Square materialise before me, I immediately thought of a giant pop-up book. The Flinders Street Station and the St Paul’s Cathedral look so fantastical and it’s literally like stepping into a fairy tale book in the middle of a busy metropolitan street. I love how the crane looks like it’s suspending the cathedral, enhancing the whole pop-up book vibe.

In case any of ye wee folks are wondering about the cloudy sky, let me tell you that Melbourne sees four seasons in a single day. Blink and it’s cloudy, blink again, it’s sunny, blink thrice and you’re in a tundra, blink four times and your eyes will refuse the act.

hehe.

The Federation Square is literally like a book where each small alleyway leads to a surprise. If you turn at the sitting area in the middle, you’d reach the Koorie Heritage Trust, which is an institution for First Peoples’ art and culture. I did not visit the place, but I’d definitely like to come back to see it. The sitting area also leads to a small alley which leads to….

This.

I love the 2D look in the arrangement of the buildings and the slight contrasting chaos is really appealing. It kind of reminds me of Grimauld Place in Harry Potter and I was half expecting the vintage buildings to be concealed by moving residential buildings, the moment Muggles get out of their cars, hehe.

The building which stands sandwiched between the St Paul’s cathedral and the red building is actually a university called Torrens University.

Melbourne does have some single-building university campuses and I found that really adorable, like a dollhouse with a miniature university.

Maybe Hogwarts could have urban branches in the same manner.

hehe.

Here we have a glimpse of The Atrium, an event centre cum bar in Fed Square. The building looks palatial and the criss-cross design makes it look like a sparkly fairy castle. On the inside, The Atrium has a glass ceiling with a fancy bar.

When I first saw The Atrium, I really did not expect it to be a posh bar. I thought it’s like the Aussie Tower of London but I really like how the city sees a vintage building and turns it into a hub of urban bling. It’s almost like opening an ancient crystal rock and finding disco coloured crystal in it.

hehe.

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image forms an iconic part of Fed Square. I love the irregularly jutting walls, which gives it a very multidimensional vibe, like the Mirror Dimension in Doctor Strange. It was interesting to see an entire museum dedicated to all things screen. I did not visit the ACMI this time round, but I would like to spend a good amount of time here on my next visit.

As I bring ye wee walkers to the last leg of this blog, Imma take ye through one of the most artistic places in Melbourne, namely Hosier Lane.

If art is an expression of freedom, Hosier Lane epitomises that expression, with its walls, covered in graffiti, which expresses the heart of each artist in its loud silence. The walls here are free to paint, so anyone can display their artistic prowess upon them, without restriction.

Melbourne has many such laneways, dedicated to art and I love that aspect of the city. Almost all major streets have these tiny, usually dead-ended lanes, filled with graffiti and like I said, the heart of a city beats through its art.

Hosier lane is Melbourne’s most famous laneway and I was very lucky to visit on a relatively empty time, so I could really take in all the art and get some really good pictures.

The third picture shows a tiny little shop dedicated to all things heavy metal and punk rock, hehe:)

Fun fact: Hosier Lane is one of Melbourne’s most haunted locations. It is said to be haunted by a Frederick Bailey Deeming who is the Southern Hemisphere version of Jack the Ripper. People have reported seeing a shadowy figure or feeling icy hands around their necks.

In fact, after I visited Hosier Lane, I actually saw a tour of haunted places in Melbourne and the lane topped the list, so, yeah….

I’m a ghost hunter.

hehe.

And that is the end of an afternoon.

And that is a wrap,

Until Next Time,

Good Evening.

hehe.